My Thoughts Turn To You
by shaping-up-to-be-pretty-ood
Summary: Faced with a River who calls herself 'Professor,' the Doctor finds himself nearly having a mental breakdown. To make matters even more complicated, he happens across a telepath who know exactly who he is.


There was something to be said if the Doctor was so distraught he didn't pay attention to where the TARDIS had landed. But "professor?" _Professor_ River Song? That was not a phrase he was used to saying, and it pained him greatly. _Professor_ River Song was one step closer to losing her to the Library. He hadn't heard anything about that expedition yet, thank goodness, but he knew it was coming.

He gasped at the air as he stumbled out of the TARDIS, trying to hold back the sob that threatened his composure. This planet had a higher concentration of oxygen than Earth. That was good for calming himself down, especially when Earth had a higher concentration of oxygen than even Gallifrey. _Just walk around for an hour or so,_ he told himself sternly. Straightening his bowtie, he set out in the direction of a barely visible market.

xXx

He decided to stop in a quiet little tea shop around the corner from the chaos of the main street. The front was brick and not in the best shape- he loved it. A soft dinging sounded as he opened the door and a rather matronly-looking woman immediately ushered him to a table in the far corner, the plethora of scents assaulting his senses on the way.

"I was wondering when you were going to come in, dear," she mused quietly, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll be back in a moment."

Unable to answer with anything but a smile, he let his gaze roam over the rest of the shop. It had an antique air to it, but everything was sturdy. Lots of mahogany and hickory.

The woman returned shortly after, with a cup of tea and a full plate of Jammie Dodgers.

"But I hadn't ordered anything," he pointed out, taking a Jammie Dodger nonetheless.

"You didn't need to." She tapped her temple with a forefinger. "I knew."

"A telepath?" he asked excitedly, eyebrows raising. "Oh, that's brilliant."

"I could feel your mind as soon as you arrived. You may want to hide that ship of yours, there are some nasty thieves around this part of the city."

"She can hide herself."

A chuckle escaped the woman's lips. "I know she can. I _am_ a telepath after all."

"What did you mean when you said you wondered when I was going to come in?" He snagged another cookie to munch while she answered.

"You were looking for somewhere quite to reflect. And if you'll excuse me for saying, I'm sure you'll see her again. In fact, I know."

The Doctor didn't say anything, but he could feel his face falling as the tears threatened to break free again. "I don't know what you mean."

"Your wife. Don't worry, I'm not prying too much into your head, I know the two of you. Her thirtieth birthday you bring her here to meet me. That was ten years ago. You mucked up the landing a bit, and scared me silly when you started talking about me like you knew me. You said, 'In ten year's time, this won't be nearly as confusing as you believe now.' River elbowed you for talking about time travel. Rightly so, that's a frightening concept to grasp." She laced her fingers together on the table top. "Are you alright, Doctor?"

"I'm just that much closer to losing her, and I don't want to. I don't even fully understand the entire range of my feelings for her half of the time, but it's stronger than any feelings I've had in over three hundred years. I don't want to give that up, and I feel so selfish for knowing nearly everything about her when she's starting to know less and less about me." A tear slid tremulously down his nose.

"Do you love her?"

"More than anything I can remember for three hundred years. But Ive never told her so and that's the point. I don't know whether or not she knows, just because I'm completely incapable of saying three words."

Placing a hand over the top of his, she replied. "You don't have to hear it to know, Doctor. You're talking to a telepath, and believe me, she knows."


End file.
